We are going a little crazy over nuts this Thanksgiving. Their flavor is particularly autumnal. The addition of toasted nuts to a dish automatically makes it tastier and more sophisticated. A handful of nuts on a cheese plate lends an earthy balance. There are so many ways to enjoy them. Here are some of our staff picks from our store. We hope you have a delicious holiday, and enjoy time with family and friends.For the Holiday Cheese Plate Landana Gouda with Walnuts is a wonderful gouda from Holland infused with fine walnut pieces.

We also love Miyoko's artisan, cultured Cashew Milk Cheeses--they will make vegan friends happy, as well as anyone who loves nuts.

To everything there is a season, and to every season...there is a pie.

Since November is Pie Month at Piedmont Grocery, I decided to get in the spirit and make a pie over the weekend-mainly so that I could eat it, but also to teach my daughter how to make her own. I have always been a big fan of Pecan Pie, but that's what we will be having for Thanksgiving.

I wanted to do something a different, and decided to try a Caramel Nut Pie recipe that I saw in the American Pie Council's America's Best Pies 2015-2014 cookbook my sister gave me last Christmas. I was a little concerned about letting my 9 year-old make caramel, but it turned out great, and we had it for dessert Sunday night.(And some of us may have had some for breakfast on Monday, maybe.)

This Caramel Nut Pie would make a great stand-in for pecan at Thanksgiving. It's for anyone who loves nuts-especially if they are not a big fan of the gooey center. Fair warning, this pie is basically all nuts. It is as dense as it is rich. It is also very good.

The must-have guide to cooking with nuts and seeds, from soups and sauces to pasta and dessert.

The only cookbook of its kind, In a Nutshell is a complete guide to cooking and baking with nuts and seeds. After working for years as instructors at the Institute of Culinary Education, Cara Tannenbaum and Andrea Tutunjian deliver the essential cookbook for Mother Nature's most versatile and nutritious ingredients. With more than 250 recipes exploring the culinary and cultural history of nuts and seeds in everything from Pumpkin Seed Guacamole to Hazelnut Roulade, In a Nutshell unites the smooth, crunchy, savory, and sweet.

Cold weather in Paris means street vendors selling hot, roasted chestnuts. And these chestnuts are the real deal. If you are planning to peel more than a few chestnuts over the holiday season, your life will be so much easier.

They are delicious straight from the jar. We love them in desserts, soups and of course, stuffing.

And this week, the 7-ounce jars are on special for $9.99-so grab a few for the holidays.

... and we couldn't happier with the Manhattans it can produce! This special release marks the 150th anniversary of making world-class vermouth...and while it's fine enough to enjoy on the rocks, it adds a whole new dimension to this classic cocktail.

Everything Wood's Boiled Cider touches is more apple-y: muffins, cakes, pies, tarts, and crisps. It is 100% concentrated cider-one gallon of cider is evaporated down to one pint of boiled cider, magically capturing the intense, robust flavor of just-picked apples in liquid form.

Wood's has been making Boiled Cider since 1882. They grind and press apples on the farm's original screw press to make sweet cider, and evaporate it over a wood fire.

Once you open a bottle, you'll want to try it in many recipes including: drizzling it on top of a cake, ice cream, yogurt, pancakes or oatmeal; mixing it with confectioners' sugar for an apple glaze; glazing meats with whole grain mustard, or try substituting the concentrated apple cider in one of our favorite recipes, Thick Pork Chops with Spiced Apples and Raisins. Or just use it by the teaspoon full in any recipe, like you would vanilla. Yum!

My favorite thing about Thanksgiving, honestly, is that I don't have to make it. I am fortunate that my mother-in-law is more than willing to prepare the Thanksgiving feast, and I only need to show up. It's not that I wouldn't cook, if given the opportunity. Of course I would. It's just that by the time Thursday comes around I'm a non-functioning, drooling fool. To be fair, we are all busy at the holidays-but until you have spent the three days before Thanksgiving working at a grocery store, you haven't experienced my kind of busy.

The hardest thing about Thanksgiving is the wait. We usually eat around 2 or 3 in the afternoon...there's the dilemma. Do you have a big breakfast to hold you until the main event? Or do you have a light breakfast and hope for snacks? I've tried both ways, and I have yet to find the best answer. Too big a breakfast means less room for turkey and gravy goodness. If you eat a light breakfast, and hope for snacks, the potential for wanting to gnaw your arm at about 12:30 is high.

This year, I will be arriving later than normal, so I'm going the small breakfast and snack route. I plan to making these just in case. Always good to be prepared...